Rudbeckia plant named ‘ET RDB 17-16’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Rudbeckia  plant named ‘ET RDB 17-16’, characterized by its upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; dense and bushy growth habit; freely flowering habit; large and long-lasting single-type inflorescences with yellow orange and reddish brown bi-colored ray florets positioned above the foliar plane on strong peduncles; and good postproduction and garden performance.

Botanical designation: Echinacea purpurea X Rudbeckia hirta.

Cultivar denomination: ‘ET RDB 17-16’.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION AND STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTORS/APPLICANTS

This application claims priority to a European Community Plant Breeders' Rights application filed on Nov. 4, 2019, application number 2019/2795. There have been no offers for sale anywhere in the world prior to the effective filing date of this Application and no accessibility to one of ordinary skill in the art could have been derived from the printed Plant Breeder's Rights documents.

The Inventors/Applicants assert that no publications nor advertisements relating to sales, offers for sale or public distribution occurred more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application. Any information about the claimed plant would have been obtained from a direct or indirect disclosure from the Inventors/Applicants. Inventors/Applicants claim a prior art exemption under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(1) for disclosure and/or sales prior to the filing date but less than one year prior to the effective filing date.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Rudbeckia plant, botanically known as Echinacea purpurea X Rudbeckia hirta and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘ET RDB 17-16’.

The new Rudbeckia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Boijl, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new interspecific Rudbeckia plants with large long-lasting and attractive inflorescences on strong peduncles.

The new Rudbeckia plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventors in Boijl, The Netherlands in July, 2015 of a proprietary selection of Echinacea purpurea identified as code designation V22, not patented, as the female, or seed parent with a proprietary selection of Rudbeckia hirta identified as code designation W29, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Rudbeckia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Boijl, The Netherlands in July, 2016.

Asexual reproduction of the new Rudbeckia by in vitro meristem culture in a controlled greenhouse environment in Boijl, The Netherlands since August, 2016 has shown that the unique features of this new Rudbeckia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Rudbeckia have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘ET RDB 17-16’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘ET RDB 17-16’ as a new and distinct Rudbeckia plant:

-   -   1. Upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and mounded plant         habit.     -   2. Dense and bushy growth habit.     -   3. Freely flowering habit.     -   4. Large and long-lasting single-type inflorescences with yellow         orange and reddish brown bi-colored ray florets positioned above         the foliar plane on strong peduncles.     -   5. Good postproduction and garden performance.

Plants of the new Rudbeckia differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Rudbeckia have stronger peduncles than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Inflorescences of plants of the new Rudbeckia are larger than         inflorescences of plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Rudbeckia differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Peduncles of plants of the new Rudbeckia are not as firm as         peduncles of plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Rudbeckia are more freely flowering than         plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Rudbeckia can be compared to Rudbeckia hirta X Rudbeckia hybrida ‘ET RDB 621’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 31,788. Plants of the new Rudbeckia differ primarily from plants of ‘ET RDB 621’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Rudbeckia are taller than plants of ‘ET RDB         621’.     -   2. Plants of the new Rudbeckia have larger inflorescences with         larger ray and disc florets than plants of ‘ET RDB 621’.

Plants of the new Rudbeckia can also be compared to Rudbeckia hirta X Echinacea purpurea ‘ET-RDB 01’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,221. Plants of the new Rudbeckia differ primarily from plants of ‘ET-RDB 01’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Rudbeckia are taller and broader than         plants of ‘ET-RDB 01’.     -   2. Plants of the new Rudbeckia have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘ET-RDB 01’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Rudbeckia showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Rudbeckia plant.

The photograph on the first sheet (FIG. 1 of 2) comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘ET RDB 17-16’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet (FIG. 2 of 2) is a close-up view of a typical inflorescence of ‘ET RDB 17-16’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown in 2.5-liter containers during the spring in an outdoor nursery in Boijl, The Netherlands and under cultural conditions typical of commercial Rudbeckia production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures averaged 16° C. and night temperatures averaged 10° C. Plants were one year old when the photographs and the detailed description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Echinacea purpurea X Rudbeckia hirta ‘ET     RDB 17-16’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Echinacea             purpurea identified as code designation V22, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Rudbeckia             hirta identified as code designation W29, not patented. -   PROPAGATION:     -   -   Type.—By in vitro meristem culture.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About seven to eight days at             soil temperatures about 15° C. and ambient temperatures             about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plants, summer.—About four             weeks at soil temperatures about 15° C. and ambient             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Medium in thickness; fleshy; color, close             to 162C; actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation,             substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Herbaceous perennial; upright to             somewhat outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; dense             and bushy appearance; vigorous growth habit; moderate growth             rate.         -   Plant height.—About 55 cm to 60 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 50 cm.         -   Lateral branches (peduncles).—Length: About 25 cm to 35 cm.             Diameter: About 5 mm to 8 mm. Internode length: About 5 cm             to 10 cm. Angle: Upright to somewhat outwardly spreading.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent; rough. Color: Close to             144A. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple; sessile.         -   Length.—About 17 cm to 21 cm.         -   Width.—About 3 cm to 6 cm.         -   Shape.—Oblanceolate to lanceolate.         -   Apex.—Acute to acuminate.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Dentate; undulate.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Pubescent; rough.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 137A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B. Fully             developed leaves, upper surface: Close to 147A; venation,             close to 144A. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 147B; venation, close to 144A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Type and arrangement.—Single-type inflorescence form with             lanceolate to oblanceolate-shaped ray florets and tubular             disc florets; inflorescences borne on terminal and axillary             peduncles above and beyond the foliar plane on strong             peduncles; inflorescences face upright to outwardly; ray and             disc florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about ten weeks             after planting; long flowering period, plants flower             continuously from mid-July until the end of October in The             Netherlands.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Good postproduction longevity with             inflorescences lasting about eight to ten weeks on the             plant; inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit,             typically more than 20 inflorescences developing per plant             during the flowering season.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 1 cm. Diameter: About             1 cm. Shape: Round to ovoid. Color: Close to 142C.         -   Inflorescences.—Diameter: Large, about 17 cm to 24 cm. Depth             (height): About 1 cm to 3 cm. Diameter of disc: About 3 cm             to 4 cm. Receptacle height: About 1 cm. Receptacle diameter:             About 7 mm to 10 mm. Receptacle color: Close to 144A.         -   Ray florets.—Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About             18 to 20 arranged in a single whorl. Length: About 6 cm to             10 cm. Width: About 2 cm to 4 cm. Shape: Lanceolate to             oblanceolate. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture,             lower surface: Rough, glabrous. Color: When opening, upper             surface: Close to 154A. When opening, lower surface: Close             to 145A. Fully opened, upper surface: Distally, close to             17A; proximally, close to 166A and 175A; venation, similar             to lamina; color does not change with development. Fully             opened, lower surface: Close to 14A; venation, similar to             lamina; color becoming closer to 154A with development.         -   Disc florets.—Arrangement: Numerous disc florets massed at             center of receptacle. Length: About 3 cm to 4 cm. Width:             About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated. Apex: Obtuse.             Color, when opening: Apex: Close to N186C. Mid-section:             Close to 145C tinged with close to N186C. Base: Close to             145A. Color, fully opened: Apex: Close to N186C.             Mid-section: Close to N186C. Base: Close to N186C.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 20             to 30 arranged in about three whorls. Length: About 3 cm to             7 cm. Width: About 5 mm to 10 mm. Shape: Lanceolate. Apex:             Acute to obtuse. Base: Fused to receptacle. Margin: Entire;             slightly undulate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Rough,             pubescent. Color, upper surface: Close to 137A. Color, lower             surface: Close to 137C.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium (present on ray and disc             florets): Quantity per floret: Numerous. Filament length:             About 1 mm to 2 mm. Filament color: Close to N186B to N186C.             Anther shape: Round. Anther length: About 1 mm to 2 mm.             Anther color: Close to N186B to N186C. Pollen amount:             Abundant. Pollen color: Close to 17A. Gynoecium (present             only on disc florets): Pistil length: About 2 mm to 3 mm.             Stigma shape: Two-parted. Stigma color: Close to N187B to             N187C. Style length: About 1 mm to 2 mm. Style color: Close             to N187B to N187C.         -   Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit production has not             been observed on plants of the new Rudbeckia. -   Pathogen & pest resistance: To date, plants of the new Rudbeckia     have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common     to Rudbeckia plants. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Rudbeckia have been observed     to have good garden performance and to tolerate wind, rain and     temperatures from about −20° C. to about 40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Rudbeckia plant named ‘ET RDB 17-16’ as illustrated and described. 